Cell phone ban in schools

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Do the high schools have closed campuses or are kids allowed to leave during lunch?

Depends on HS. I really think it’s a mistake to talk about a ban that would apply across the board k-12. No reason for a K to have a cell phone, but lots of reasons for a 12th grade.
The lunch thing is a good point — most kids will order online as they are walking out of school so they have time to pick up food and eat it. The HS don’t all have space for all kids to eat in the school but the kids don’t have time to stand in line. Teachers still of course be able to punish kids using phones during class but I don’t think you can ban cell phones outright for HS kids who may be driving, need it for communication from coaches, etc.

Teachers don’t care if students have a cell phone with the sound turned off in their backpacks. Teachers don’t care if students use their phones at lunch although it would be healthier for students to chat with other students rather than being glued to their phones. What we are trying to tell you is that many students are addicted to their phones and cannot go 5 minutes in class without pulling out their phones and responding to a text or scrolling on instagram or texting their friends to ask for answers. It affects everyone in the classroom because the teacher has to constantly repeat instructions and information or spend more time helping kids who have not paid attention because they were glued to their cell phones while the teacher was teaching. The constant cell phone use creates a negative classroom environment for everyone including the teacher. Perhaps your student has all As so you don’t care but even your A student could be learning so much more in school if there was a cell phone ban in classrooms

+1 well stated.

My kid tells me that they only pull out their phone when they are done with their assignments (probably lying but I can only take it at face value), but that other kids are easily distracted by their phones (I'm sure my kid is, too). They have some AP classes and some not, and this is an across the board issue. If it was just one or two kids having this issue it would be a lot easier for the teacher to manage, but when you have 30 kids in the class, and the majority have their phones out, it's a lot harder to manage that.

Even if I take the phone away from my kid, if the other 29 kids have their phones, that doesn't really help the entire class, including my kid.

I put parental controls on my kids phone so even they did pull it out they can only make calls with it during school hours. Not really my place to parent other people's kids. I would also rather not burden teachers with enforcing yet another policy that they can't really enforce because there are no consequences. Kids can just say no and do what they want. It will cause more problems and even less learning will get done.

There is ALREADY a policy in place, the PROBLEM with the policy is that it's not enforced with consequences. That is what people here are asking for. There is already major instructional loss and problems occurring due to cellphones. Your entire line of thinking is backwards.

MCPS doesn't impose consequences, not real ones, anyway. RJ is what they use. Ask any teenager what they think of RJ (I have two teens). MCPS is afraid of the optics if they impose actual consequences of kids who don't follow the rules because it mostly impacts a certain group.

The real issue is that there are no consequences if parents oppose them. MCPS is more afraid of being sued than anything else. I’ve taught in three mixed income schools and in all of them, the wealthier kids were made of Teflon. They never got consequences because the parents swooped in to block it.

If they attempted to confiscate personal property, I'd press charges and sue them.

And this is why there won’t be a ban. MCPS parents are crazy and litigious.

Would any reputable lawyer take this case seriously? I guess if the parent wants to waste their money, shrug, go ahead.

What reputable lawyer would take Trump's cases and yet SCOTUS rules in his favor.

Well, as stated...."I guess if the parent wants to waste their money, ", but I highly doubt that a right wing court would side with allowing kids to keep their cell phones in class. There are dress codes in schools (also not enforced by MCPS) and limits to free speech in school. A school is not a democracy.

That court is all about catering to their oligarch masters. Property rights are a big thing with them.

Yet Florida with their Maga governor instituted a cell phone ban in schools

For the right, it's always been about imposing their values on others.

There's nothing the right enjoys more than pushing their agenda on everyone else.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Do the high schools have closed campuses or are kids allowed to leave during lunch?

Depends on HS. I really think it’s a mistake to talk about a ban that would apply across the board k-12. No reason for a K to have a cell phone, but lots of reasons for a 12th grade.
The lunch thing is a good point — most kids will order online as they are walking out of school so they have time to pick up food and eat it. The HS don’t all have space for all kids to eat in the school but the kids don’t have time to stand in line. Teachers still of course be able to punish kids using phones during class but I don’t think you can ban cell phones outright for HS kids who may be driving, need it for communication from coaches, etc.

Teachers don’t care if students have a cell phone with the sound turned off in their backpacks. Teachers don’t care if students use their phones at lunch although it would be healthier for students to chat with other students rather than being glued to their phones. What we are trying to tell you is that many students are addicted to their phones and cannot go 5 minutes in class without pulling out their phones and responding to a text or scrolling on instagram or texting their friends to ask for answers. It affects everyone in the classroom because the teacher has to constantly repeat instructions and information or spend more time helping kids who have not paid attention because they were glued to their cell phones while the teacher was teaching. The constant cell phone use creates a negative classroom environment for everyone including the teacher. Perhaps your student has all As so you don’t care but even your A student could be learning so much more in school if there was a cell phone ban in classrooms

+1 well stated.

My kid tells me that they only pull out their phone when they are done with their assignments (probably lying but I can only take it at face value), but that other kids are easily distracted by their phones (I'm sure my kid is, too). They have some AP classes and some not, and this is an across the board issue. If it was just one or two kids having this issue it would be a lot easier for the teacher to manage, but when you have 30 kids in the class, and the majority have their phones out, it's a lot harder to manage that.

Even if I take the phone away from my kid, if the other 29 kids have their phones, that doesn't really help the entire class, including my kid.

I put parental controls on my kids phone so even they did pull it out they can only make calls with it during school hours. Not really my place to parent other people's kids. I would also rather not burden teachers with enforcing yet another policy that they can't really enforce because there are no consequences. Kids can just say no and do what they want. It will cause more problems and even less learning will get done.

There is ALREADY a policy in place, the PROBLEM with the policy is that it's not enforced with consequences. That is what people here are asking for. There is already major instructional loss and problems occurring due to cellphones. Your entire line of thinking is backwards.

MCPS doesn't impose consequences, not real ones, anyway. RJ is what they use. Ask any teenager what they think of RJ (I have two teens). MCPS is afraid of the optics if they impose actual consequences of kids who don't follow the rules because it mostly impacts a certain group.

The real issue is that there are no consequences if parents oppose them. MCPS is more afraid of being sued than anything else. I’ve taught in three mixed income schools and in all of them, the wealthier kids were made of Teflon. They never got consequences because the parents swooped in to block it.

If they attempted to confiscate personal property, I'd press charges and sue them.

LOL. Kids agree to abide by the code of conduct. If it says "no phone or it'll be confiscated", well oops!

As a parent, I have no issue if a teacher takes the phone for inappropiate use. I'll get it at the end of the school day. I just want an email or call telling me. We will appologize as parents, so will the child, and there will be consequences at home.

dp. sure, me, too, but there are a lot of parents who would yell at the teachers for this. That's why we need an enforceable district wide ban.

unfortunately that won't cut it. The teacher tries to take the phone from the kid but they say NO and there's basically nothing the teacher can do.

If the school and district actually tried to enforce the rule and consequences had teeth, and admin backed the teacher - ie, phone gets taken away, in school suspension, not allowed to go to homecoming, etc.. it would work.

The best thing to do is use a yondr pouch. Yes, there are ways to get around it. But, most kinds won't do that. And the ones who do try to get around it and get caught should have consequences, real consequences.

Pouch is silly as the kids will just hand over fake phones.

Then their real phones will be confiscated and the student will no longer be able to bring any phone to campus. Simple really.

Or, let kids have their phones. Make classes intersting and fun and don't give them downtime. If its not the phones, they will browse on the chromebooks.

Are you listening? Of course you're not, but I'll play. This doesn't happen during "downtime". They walk in glued to their phones, don't put them away, and are on them the entirety of class. It doesn't matter how "fun and interesting" classes/lessons are- they are checked out from the minute they walk in the door.

You're obsessed with kids having access to phones during class times and that tells me all I need to know about your intelligence level.

The PP is just being realistic. Schools can't effectively ban phones. They lack the means to enforce any such policy so it won't ever happen since all kids got to do is say no you can't have my phone.

The don’t lack means to enforce. It onerous to enforce but at this point so is trying to teach with them.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the high schools have closed campuses or are kids allowed to leave during lunch?

Depends on HS. I really think it’s a mistake to talk about a ban that would apply across the board k-12. No reason for a K to have a cell phone, but lots of reasons for a 12th grade.
The lunch thing is a good point — most kids will order online as they are walking out of school so they have time to pick up food and eat it. The HS don’t all have space for all kids to eat in the school but the kids don’t have time to stand in line. Teachers still of course be able to punish kids using phones during class but I don’t think you can ban cell phones outright for HS kids who may be driving, need it for communication from coaches, etc.

Teachers don’t care if students have a cell phone with the sound turned off in their backpacks. Teachers don’t care if students use their phones at lunch although it would be healthier for students to chat with other students rather than being glued to their phones. What we are trying to tell you is that many students are addicted to their phones and cannot go 5 minutes in class without pulling out their phones and responding to a text or scrolling on instagram or texting their friends to ask for answers. It affects everyone in the classroom because the teacher has to constantly repeat instructions and information or spend more time helping kids who have not paid attention because they were glued to their cell phones while the teacher was teaching. The constant cell phone use creates a negative classroom environment for everyone including the teacher. Perhaps your student has all As so you don’t care but even your A student could be learning so much more in school if there was a cell phone ban in classrooms

+1 well stated.

My kid tells me that they only pull out their phone when they are done with their assignments (probably lying but I can only take it at face value), but that other kids are easily distracted by their phones (I'm sure my kid is, too). They have some AP classes and some not, and this is an across the board issue. If it was just one or two kids having this issue it would be a lot easier for the teacher to manage, but when you have 30 kids in the class, and the majority have their phones out, it's a lot harder to manage that.

Even if I take the phone away from my kid, if the other 29 kids have their phones, that doesn't really help the entire class, including my kid.

I put parental controls on my kids phone so even they did pull it out they can only make calls with it during school hours. Not really my place to parent other people's kids. I would also rather not burden teachers with enforcing yet another policy that they can't really enforce because there are no consequences. Kids can just say no and do what they want. It will cause more problems and even less learning will get done.

There is ALREADY a policy in place, the PROBLEM with the policy is that it's not enforced with consequences. That is what people here are asking for. There is already major instructional loss and problems occurring due to cellphones. Your entire line of thinking is backwards.

MCPS doesn't impose consequences, not real ones, anyway. RJ is what they use. Ask any teenager what they think of RJ (I have two teens). MCPS is afraid of the optics if they impose actual consequences of kids who don't follow the rules because it mostly impacts a certain group.

The real issue is that there are no consequences if parents oppose them. MCPS is more afraid of being sued than anything else. I’ve taught in three mixed income schools and in all of them, the wealthier kids were made of Teflon. They never got consequences because the parents swooped in to block it.

If they attempted to confiscate personal property, I'd press charges and sue them.

LOL. Kids agree to abide by the code of conduct. If it says "no phone or it'll be confiscated", well oops!

As a parent, I have no issue if a teacher takes the phone for inappropiate use. I'll get it at the end of the school day. I just want an email or call telling me. We will appologize as parents, so will the child, and there will be consequences at home.

dp. sure, me, too, but there are a lot of parents who would yell at the teachers for this. That's why we need an enforceable district wide ban.

unfortunately that won't cut it. The teacher tries to take the phone from the kid but they say NO and there's basically nothing the teacher can do.

If the school and district actually tried to enforce the rule and consequences had teeth, and admin backed the teacher - ie, phone gets taken away, in school suspension, not allowed to go to homecoming, etc.. it would work.

The best thing to do is use a yondr pouch. Yes, there are ways to get around it. But, most kinds won't do that. And the ones who do try to get around it and get caught should have consequences, real consequences.

Pouch is silly as the kids will just hand over fake phones.

Then their real phones will be confiscated and the student will no longer be able to bring any phone to campus. Simple really.

Or, let kids have their phones. Make classes intersting and fun and don't give them downtime. If its not the phones, they will browse on the chromebooks.

Are you listening? Of course you're not, but I'll play. This doesn't happen during "downtime". They walk in glued to their phones, don't put them away, and are on them the entirety of class. It doesn't matter how "fun and interesting" classes/lessons are- they are checked out from the minute they walk in the door.

You're obsessed with kids having access to phones during class times and that tells me all I need to know about your intelligence level.

The PP is just being realistic. Schools can't effectively ban phones. They lack the means to enforce any such policy so it won't ever happen since all kids got to do is say no you can't have my phone.

Actually they can enforce a policy where kids CANT say “no”, as that won’t be an option. Having a cellphone isn’t a right. It’s a privilege.

[Anonymous]

No phones from start to end of class day. Plain and simple. Do you know what lunch is like nowadays? No chatting and socializing - just phones. In class, when work is done? Same thing. Distraction during instruction is just ONE part of the problem. As for parents who want to soothe THEIR anxiety/needs by saddling teenagers with phones - come on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No phones from start to end of class day. Plain and simple. Do you know what lunch is like nowadays? No chatting and socializing - just phones. In class, when work is done? Same thing. Distraction during instruction is just ONE part of the problem. As for parents who want to soothe THEIR anxiety/needs by saddling teenagers with phones - come on.

Not all kids have friends or are social. Phones at lunch is fine.

[Anonymous]

We got an email from Poolesville HS. It mentions emails home, detentions, referrals, and admin involvement for refusal to keep phones away. I can see students (and teachers) there being much more able to follow the rules compared to a lot of other high schools though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No phones from start to end of class day. Plain and simple. Do you know what lunch is like nowadays? No chatting and socializing - just phones. In class, when work is done? Same thing. Distraction during instruction is just ONE part of the problem. As for parents who want to soothe THEIR anxiety/needs by saddling teenagers with phones - come on.

One of my friends teaches Middle School and she says all the kids do during lunch is text each other. They don't really understand how to have conversations with each other without a screen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No phones from start to end of class day. Plain and simple. Do you know what lunch is like nowadays? No chatting and socializing - just phones. In class, when work is done? Same thing. Distraction during instruction is just ONE part of the problem. As for parents who want to soothe THEIR anxiety/needs by saddling teenagers with phones - come on.

One of my friends teaches Middle School and she says all the kids do during lunch is text each other. They don't really understand how to have conversations with each other without a screen

These kids will have a hard time once they hit the workplace when they need to meet with management or clients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the high schools have closed campuses or are kids allowed to leave during lunch?

Depends on HS. I really think it’s a mistake to talk about a ban that would apply across the board k-12. No reason for a K to have a cell phone, but lots of reasons for a 12th grade.
The lunch thing is a good point — most kids will order online as they are walking out of school so they have time to pick up food and eat it. The HS don’t all have space for all kids to eat in the school but the kids don’t have time to stand in line. Teachers still of course be able to punish kids using phones during class but I don’t think you can ban cell phones outright for HS kids who may be driving, need it for communication from coaches, etc.

Teachers don’t care if students have a cell phone with the sound turned off in their backpacks. Teachers don’t care if students use their phones at lunch although it would be healthier for students to chat with other students rather than being glued to their phones. What we are trying to tell you is that many students are addicted to their phones and cannot go 5 minutes in class without pulling out their phones and responding to a text or scrolling on instagram or texting their friends to ask for answers. It affects everyone in the classroom because the teacher has to constantly repeat instructions and information or spend more time helping kids who have not paid attention because they were glued to their cell phones while the teacher was teaching. The constant cell phone use creates a negative classroom environment for everyone including the teacher. Perhaps your student has all As so you don’t care but even your A student could be learning so much more in school if there was a cell phone ban in classrooms

+1 well stated.

My kid tells me that they only pull out their phone when they are done with their assignments (probably lying but I can only take it at face value), but that other kids are easily distracted by their phones (I'm sure my kid is, too). They have some AP classes and some not, and this is an across the board issue. If it was just one or two kids having this issue it would be a lot easier for the teacher to manage, but when you have 30 kids in the class, and the majority have their phones out, it's a lot harder to manage that.

Even if I take the phone away from my kid, if the other 29 kids have their phones, that doesn't really help the entire class, including my kid.

I put parental controls on my kids phone so even they did pull it out they can only make calls with it during school hours. Not really my place to parent other people's kids. I would also rather not burden teachers with enforcing yet another policy that they can't really enforce because there are no consequences. Kids can just say no and do what they want. It will cause more problems and even less learning will get done.

There is ALREADY a policy in place, the PROBLEM with the policy is that it's not enforced with consequences. That is what people here are asking for. There is already major instructional loss and problems occurring due to cellphones. Your entire line of thinking is backwards.

MCPS doesn't impose consequences, not real ones, anyway. RJ is what they use. Ask any teenager what they think of RJ (I have two teens). MCPS is afraid of the optics if they impose actual consequences of kids who don't follow the rules because it mostly impacts a certain group.

The real issue is that there are no consequences if parents oppose them. MCPS is more afraid of being sued than anything else. I’ve taught in three mixed income schools and in all of them, the wealthier kids were made of Teflon. They never got consequences because the parents swooped in to block it.

If they attempted to confiscate personal property, I'd press charges and sue them.

LOL. Kids agree to abide by the code of conduct. If it says "no phone or it'll be confiscated", well oops!

As a parent, I have no issue if a teacher takes the phone for inappropiate use. I'll get it at the end of the school day. I just want an email or call telling me. We will appologize as parents, so will the child, and there will be consequences at home.

dp. sure, me, too, but there are a lot of parents who would yell at the teachers for this. That's why we need an enforceable district wide ban.

unfortunately that won't cut it. The teacher tries to take the phone from the kid but they say NO and there's basically nothing the teacher can do.

If the school and district actually tried to enforce the rule and consequences had teeth, and admin backed the teacher - ie, phone gets taken away, in school suspension, not allowed to go to homecoming, etc.. it would work.

The best thing to do is use a yondr pouch. Yes, there are ways to get around it. But, most kinds won't do that. And the ones who do try to get around it and get caught should have consequences, real consequences.

Pouch is silly as the kids will just hand over fake phones.

Then their real phones will be confiscated and the student will no longer be able to bring any phone to campus. Simple really.

Or, let kids have their phones. Make classes intersting and fun and don't give them downtime. If its not the phones, they will browse on the chromebooks.

Are you listening? Of course you're not, but I'll play. This doesn't happen during "downtime". They walk in glued to their phones, don't put them away, and are on them the entirety of class. It doesn't matter how "fun and interesting" classes/lessons are- they are checked out from the minute they walk in the door.

You're obsessed with kids having access to phones during class times and that tells me all I need to know about your intelligence level.

The PP is just being realistic. Schools can't effectively ban phones. They lack the means to enforce any such policy so it won't ever happen since all kids got to do is say no you can't have my phone.

Actually they can enforce a policy where kids CANT say “no”, as that won’t be an option. Having a cellphone isn’t a right. It’s a privilege.

That's not true and confiscating personal property is theft. I know if they stole my cellphone I'd call the cops and press charges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We got an email from Poolesville HS. It mentions emails home, detentions, referrals, and admin involvement for refusal to keep phones away. I can see students (and teachers) there being much more able to follow the rules compared to a lot of other high schools though.

Sorry I'm not understanding your dog whistle. You're implication is because of its lack of poverty or diversity at Poolesville?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got an email from Poolesville HS. It mentions emails home, detentions, referrals, and admin involvement for refusal to keep phones away. I can see students (and teachers) there being much more able to follow the rules compared to a lot of other high schools though.

Sorry I'm not understanding your dog whistle. You're implication is because of its lack of poverty or diversity at Poolesville?

I think the implication is more around its multiple magnet programs and the caliber of students that creates.

[Anonymous]

Phones away all day is going to become the rule at MCPS and be enforced. I have no doubts about that. PTAs are advocating for it, teachers are begging for it, many parents agree, research is support kids using phones less and plenty of schools/schools districts are implementing.

Parents who don’t like it should start to get use to the idea now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Phones away all day is going to become the rule at MCPS and be enforced. I have no doubts about that. PTAs are advocating for it, teachers are begging for it, many parents agree, research is support kids using phones less and plenty of schools/schools districts are implementing.

Parents who don’t like it should start to get use to the idea now.

Next get rid of books! Book tech is too distracting. I've read that too much book time is bad for teens. We should return to the spoken word or maybe hand-written parchment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Phones away all day is going to become the rule at MCPS and be enforced. I have no doubts about that. PTAs are advocating for it, teachers are begging for it, many parents agree, research is support kids using phones less and plenty of schools/schools districts are implementing.

Parents who don’t like it should start to get use to the idea now.

Next get rid of books! Book tech is too distracting. I've read that too much book time is bad for teens. We should return to the spoken word or maybe hand-written parchment.

I know you think you’re being funny and/or clever, but you actually just sound incredibly stupid and vapid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Phones away all day is going to become the rule at MCPS and be enforced. I have no doubts about that. PTAs are advocating for it, teachers are begging for it, many parents agree, research is support kids using phones less and plenty of schools/schools districts are implementing.

Parents who don’t like it should start to get use to the idea now.

Next get rid of books! Book tech is too distracting. I've read that too much book time is bad for teens. We should return to the spoken word or maybe hand-written parchment.

I know you think you’re being funny and/or clever, but you actually just sound incredibly stupid and vapid.

I thought it was funny. The Ludites are annoying.